Deforestation: A Prevalent Problem in the World Today By Ben
Deforestation Deforestation is a prevalent and destructive problem in the world today. Forests and trees are invaluable to the environment and to humans, and cover about 30% of the world’s land area, but for a variety of reasons people are cutting down trees at rate of 12 million hectares a year. Trees are valuable to the environment for several important reasons.
Carbon Dioxide Trees and other vegetation are essential to aerobic, or oxygen-consuming, organisms such as humans because they reuse harmful carbon dioxide and exude useful oxygen. However, when trees are cut down this major outlet for using up carbon dioxide is destroyed, much of the gas is released back into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and other harmful processes.
Soil Preservation Trees are also essential to preserving the adhesive properties of soil. The roots of trees and other plants help to hold together soil and improve its quality for agriculture and other soil-dependent industries. However, deforestation eliminates the invaluable roots of these trees and contributes to erosion and the retention of arable soil necessary to many important agricultural industries.
Water Quality Another reason trees and forests are invaluable to the environment as well as human society is that they help absorb water and prevent surplus water runoff, which often picks up harmful pollutants such as fertilizer or litter and pollutes essential water sources. Trees also conserve water and release it into the atmosphere, contributing to more temperate climates in otherwise drier areas.The destruction of these trees contributes thus negatively to polluted water sources, another prominent problem in modern-day society.
Biological Diversity Forests around the world are also home to a diverse array of myriad terrestrial species; for example, a four-square-mile patch of rainforest may contain as many as 400 species of birds. However, many animals are losing their natural habitats and are becoming extinct or endangered due to deforestation.
Phytoremediation Trees are also responsible for the process of phytoremediation, which is when the microbes living on and around trees and which depend upon them to live help to reduce pollution levels by decomposing harmful pollutants within the environment, in the air and in the soil. Deforestation may result in a lowering of the beneficial effects of phytoremediation.
Chemical Products Trees also release many environmentally beneficial chemicals into the environment, as well as produce fruits or seeds that can be used as medicines; for example, the Pacific yew tree releases a chemical known as taxane, which is used in chemotherapy treatment, and the cinchona tree of Peru is the sole source of quinine, an important antimalarial drug.
Evolutionary Significance Forests and trees also carry evolutionary significance from a human viewpoint. Homo sapiens descended from a tree-dwelling, arboreal species of prosimians, and the rise of human culture has been mainly due to the invention of the wheel, fire, and other wood-based technological innovations. Also, early humans depended upon a diet of leaves, fruits, nuts, and bark, and thus depended greatly upon trees and forests for their main sources of food.
Consequences When these valuable forests are destroyed, so is the beneficial effect they have on modern society:
The carbon cycle is disrupted, leading to higher atmospheric levels of carbon and an increase in the greenhouse effect;
The water cycle is similarly impeded, leading certain deforested areas to lose a substantial amount of moisture, which may lead to a drastic change in climate;
Water pollution levels rise;
Soil erosion levels rise, and coastal areas lose land;
The hundreds of forest-dwelling species experience a loss of their habitat and many become endangered or extinct- habitat destruction even played a part in the extinction of the Mauritian dodo;
Many plant-derived substances and medicines are lost;
And many ecologically-dependent industries such as farming and agriculture are disrupted, also contributing to economical and industrial repercussions.
In Conclusion Deforestation is an imminent and current problem, and cannot be ignored. Trees are an important part of the environment as well as many human industries and sources of revenue, and we are destroying the area of 20 soccer fields every minute. Organizations such as IUCN (the International Conservation Union), The Rainforest Alliance, and CI (Conservation International) are devoted to protecting the world’s forests. For further research and more information, see their websites at http://www.iucn.org/, http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/, and http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx. A longer list of arboreal preservation societies and organizations can be found here: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1024.htm. Sources
By Ben
Deforestation
Deforestation is a prevalent and destructive problem in the world today. Forests and trees are invaluable to the environment and to humans, and cover about 30% of the world’s land area, but for a variety of reasons people are cutting down trees at rate of 12 million hectares a year. Trees are valuable to the environment for several important reasons.
Carbon Dioxide
Trees and other vegetation are essential to aerobic, or oxygen-consuming, organisms such as humans because they reuse harmful carbon dioxide and exude useful oxygen. However, when trees are cut down this major outlet for using up carbon dioxide is destroyed, much of the gas is released back into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and other harmful processes.
Soil Preservation
Trees are also essential to preserving the adhesive properties of soil. The roots of trees and other plants help to hold together soil and improve its quality for agriculture and other soil-dependent industries. However, deforestation eliminates the invaluable roots of these trees and contributes to erosion and the retention of arable soil necessary to many important agricultural industries.
Water Quality
Another reason trees and forests are invaluable to the environment as well as human society is that they help absorb water and prevent surplus water runoff, which often picks up harmful pollutants such as fertilizer or litter and pollutes essential water sources. Trees also conserve water and release it into the atmosphere, contributing to more temperate climates in otherwise drier areas.The destruction of these trees contributes thus negatively to polluted water sources, another prominent problem in modern-day society.
Biological Diversity
Forests around the world are also home to a diverse array of myriad terrestrial species; for example, a four-square-mile patch of rainforest may contain as many as 400 species of birds. However, many animals are losing their natural habitats and are becoming extinct or endangered due to deforestation.
Phytoremediation
Trees are also responsible for the process of phytoremediation, which is when the microbes living on and around trees and which depend upon them to live help to reduce pollution levels by decomposing harmful pollutants within the environment, in the air and in the soil. Deforestation may result in a lowering of the beneficial effects of phytoremediation.
Chemical Products
Trees also release many environmentally beneficial chemicals into the environment, as well as produce fruits or seeds that can be used as medicines; for example, the Pacific yew tree releases a chemical known as taxane, which is used in chemotherapy treatment, and the cinchona tree of Peru is the sole source of quinine, an important antimalarial drug.
Evolutionary Significance
Forests and trees also carry evolutionary significance from a human viewpoint. Homo sapiens descended from a tree-dwelling, arboreal species of prosimians, and the rise of human culture has been mainly due to the invention of the wheel, fire, and other wood-based technological innovations. Also, early humans depended upon a diet of leaves, fruits, nuts, and bark, and thus depended greatly upon trees and forests for their main sources of food.
Consequences
When these valuable forests are destroyed, so is the beneficial effect they have on modern society:
In Conclusion
Deforestation is an imminent and current problem, and cannot be ignored. Trees are an important part of the environment as well as many human industries and sources of revenue, and we are destroying the area of 20 soccer fields every minute. Organizations such as IUCN (the International Conservation Union), The Rainforest Alliance, and CI (Conservation International) are devoted to protecting the world’s forests. For further research and more information, see their websites at http://www.iucn.org/, http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/, and http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx. A longer list of arboreal preservation societies and organizations can be found here: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1024.htm.
Sources